


Safety in Her Arms

by IntrepidGreene



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-07
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-03 09:44:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4096264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntrepidGreene/pseuds/IntrepidGreene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the death of Lori, Rick has a hard time dealing with the grief: until his relationship with Maggie takes a new and unexpected turn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

It seemed as if darkness surrounded Rick ever since the unexpected death of his wife a few days prior; he had spent those long and cold days alone in his cell, seated on the blood-stained surface of his dingy prison mattress with his arms crossed in front of his chest and his head hanging low: tears from the previous hours of crying still streaking his cheeks. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to meet his newborn daughter, as he was too consumed by the grief.  
The mattress creaked softly as Rick shifted his position the slightest bit, lifting his feet off of the cement floor and crossing his legs at his ankles. His attention was drawn towards the doorway of his cell as the light tap of knuckles knocked against the concrete: a slim figure shadowing his floor.  
With hesitance, Rick’s head lifted, his eyes briefly making contact with those of Maggie before he lowered his gaze once again. A sort of grunt left his lips as an invitation for the woman to come in, although he didn’t understand why she wanted to; he clearly hadn’t been in the mood for socializing.  
“Sorry t’bother you,” Maggie apologized with the same sympathetic tone that everyone had been using with him since Lori’s death; something that annoyed him to no end. “I jus’ hadn’t seen y’in a few days an’ wanted t’check in on ya… see how yer’ doin’.”  
“How do you think m’doing?” Rick grumbled out in a hoarse voice: the first time he had spoken in days, which brought to his attention that his throat was rough and scratchy. He was probably becoming dehydrated. “What do you want, Maggie?”  
Maggie cleared her throat softly, leaning her hip against the doorway as her vision fell to the floor, her arms crossing in front of her chest. “I didn’t mean t’be intrusive er anythin’... I jus’ figured maybe you’d want some company. I know what it’s like t’lose someone an’ y’don’t have t’go through it alone…”  
Bullshit. Rick thought to himself, although he was too polite to say it outloud. Maggie was trying to be genuine and supportive, why couldn’t he accept it?   
“Carl’s worried about’cha,” Maggie added on, hoping to gain a response from Rick, “so’s my dad… everyone.”  
“Just leave me be,” Rick muttered, running a hand through his greasy locks as he lifted his gaze to meet Maggie’s. “Let me deal with this the way I wanna deal with, alright? I don’t need your sympathy or anyone else’s.”   
“I…” Maggie started, a little taken off-guard by Rick’s sudden rude outburst. “I, uh, thought maybe you’d like t’go on a run with me. Help keep yer’ mind off things…”  
Rick’s eyes briefly closed, his head shaking back and forth weakly. He didn’t want to do anything. Didn’t Maggie understand that? “Why in the hell would I wanna go on a run? Can’t you ask somebody else to go with ya?”  
“M’not goin’ fer’ me, m’goin’ fer’ you,” Maggie offered, standing upright as she took a single step into Rick’s cell. “The baby ran outta formula… I offered t’go get her some more an’ I figured since she’s yer’ daughter you might wanna come along…”   
Rick sighed heavily as he leaned forward, resting his face in the palms of his hands. Maggie’s statements only made him feel more guilty about the fact that he hadn’t even seen his daughter yet, and only convinced him further that he should go on the run for formula. He owed her at least that. “Fine…” Rick muttered groggily, but he didn’t budge, only lifting his face up again once he heard Maggie’s footsteps advancing into his cell.   
“A’right, progress,” Maggie commented softly as she approached Rick’s bed, extending her arms up towards the top bunk where he kept all of his belongings. Strewn across the dirt stained fabric of the second mattress were Rick’s gun, his belt, and his backpack, all of which Maggie scooped up into her arms, dropping the supplies onto Rick’s lap. “Let’s go, Sheriff.”   
“Yeah, yeah,” Rick grumbled, pushing his belongings off of his lap and onto the mattress beside him as he shakily got to his feet, stumbling slightly as he had rarely stood up within the last few days. He motioned lazily with one hand for Maggie to back up as he began to fasten his belt around his waist, holstered his gun, and slung the strap of his backpack over one shoulder.  
Maggie pulled the bottom of her black tank top down, just far enough so that it stopped right above her belt. She already had her gun holstered, but lacked a backpack, which led Rick to believe that she had planned on convincing him to go with her. A weak smirk grazing his lips, Rick jerked his head towards the doorway. “Go on,” he encouraged her. “We don’t wanna keep the baby waiting for too long.”


	2. Chapter Two

Maggie’s boots scuffed softly against the worn down and cracked pavement of the long abandoned road, one hand resting against her gun, the other dangling loosely at her side. Not a single word had been spoken between herself and Rick since they had left the prison, an awkward atmosphere enveloping them. Maggie had never been particularly close with Rick, or anyone outside of her father and Beth, but the group had grown more close-knit as a whole since the great loss of both Lori and T-Dog, who were valued members of the group. Besides, it was easier to become closer when they were all working together to care for the newest member of their group, Rick’s newborn daughter, who still remained unnamed.

“She’s doin’ good so far,” Maggie suddenly spoke, cocking her head to the side to meet Rick’s gaze, one eye squinting to shield her vision from the harsh sunlight. It wasn’t the greatest conversation starter, but the silence was awkward and felt strangely tense. Maggie had never felt this uncomfortable in the presence of someone from her group before. 

Rick grunted softly, his vision still fixated on the ground before him as he walked, hardly acknowledging Maggie’s statement. “Yeah…” he grumbled softly, driving the toe of his boot into a small rock, sending it tumbling forwards a few feet on the pavement. “You don’t have to keep talking about her, ya know? I already know I’ve been a shitty father to her so far, you don’t need to keep reminding me about it.”

“No…” Maggie stated, shaking her head back and forth weakly. She hadn’t meant to make Rick feel bad, she actually had been hoping to do the opposite. The entire idea of having him get out of the prison and doing something was intended to make him feel better, maybe even feel normal if that were possible. “I didn’t mean it like that, I jus’ figured you’d like t’know that she’s a’right…”

Rick muttered something under his breath but still avoided making eye contact with the woman beside him, stuffing one hand into his front jean pocket. Maggie heard the grieving man exhale loudly, but she chose to ignore this, taking the hint that she wasn’t doing much to make Rick feel better. Maybe it would have been best to just let him sit alone in his cell until he realized that he needed to do something on his own. 

Remaining silent for the remainder of their walk, a wave of relief washed over Maggie as she spotted the buildings that were coming into her view. The silence and tension were killing her, and she knew that there would have to be some kind of communication between herself and Rick once they began their search for baby formula, as they would need to keep an eye out for each other as well. There was no telling what might be waiting for them.

“How do you know we’re gonna find baby formula anyway?” Rick questioned, taking Maggie slightly by surprise that he was the one to break the tension. “What if there’s none and this is just a waste of our time?”

“I love yer’ positivity,” Maggie muttered in response, grabbing ahold of the zipper on Rick’s bag as she pulled it open, extracting a flashlight from the contents. 

“Well excuse me for not looking on the bright side with everything that’s been going on,” Rick retorted coldly, not even glancing in Maggie’s direction as he started towards a small convenience store to the right of them: its glass windows caked with dust and its front door missing off the hinges. Rick pounded his fist against the side of the door three times before he waited a moment, allowing time for any walkers that might have been lurking in the darkness to show themselves. When he received no response, a low grumble left his lips, his feet shuffling into the abandoned store.

“Careful,” Maggie warned him in a soft tone, flicking the switch on the flashlight that was grasped tightly within her palm, a strong beam of white light illuminating the previously dark interior of the convenience store. “See anythin’ yet?”

“No, not yet,” Rick called back, advancing further into the store. Maggie followed closely in his wake, shifting the direction of the flashlight every so often in hopes of discovering an aisle with baby formula.

“How ‘bout over there?” Maggie questioned, pointing the beam of light towards the end of an aisle where she saw a row of diapers on a shelf. This was their best shot if someone else hadn’t raided the store for baby formula yet, which Maggie deemed unlikely. 

With a simple nod of his head, Rick followed the beam of light, coming to a halt as his vision scanned up and down the shelves; cans of powdered formula, packages of diapers, and other miscellaneous baby items were strewn across them in disarray. Maggie stopped a few inches behind Rick, a light smile grazing her lips as she admired the supplies. 

“Grab that stuffed duck while yer’ at it,” Maggie suggested, dragging the beam of light towards the stuffed toy as Rick placed his hand on the nearest can of formula, his attention quickly darting towards it. A soft scoff left his lips as if Maggie had been joking. 

“M’serious,” Maggie giggled softly, jerking her chin towards it. “The kid’s gonna be growin’ up in a prison. She could probably use some toys…” 

Rick let out a soft sigh, surprised to find himself feeling comfortable in Maggie’s presence now. He swept the last four cans of formula into his opened backpack before he stepped across the narrow aisle, a soft chuckle leaving his lips as he grabbed a hold of the soft toy. “I’ll make sure t’tell her it’s from her aunt Maggie,” he mumbled, stuffing the duck into the small amount of available space left in his bag.


	3. Chapter Three

Rick was finding it increasingly difficult as the minutes ticked on to hide the fact that he was actually enjoying being out of his cell and in Maggie’s company. He had spent so much time alone with nothing but his consuming thoughts about his late wife to keep him occupied; he hadn’t realized how badly he was craving the presence of another human being. Clearing his throat softly, Rick pressed the dirtied palm of his hand against the dust-caked glass surface of the front door, pushing and holding it open in order for Maggie to exit first.

“Thank you,” Maggie replied with a genuine smile grazing her lips, her thumb pressing the flashlight’s switch to ‘off’, extinguishing the beam of light that had guided them through the dark interior of the store. “Y’got any room fer’ it in yer’ bag?” she joked lightly, her eyes locking on Rick’s backpack, which was stuffed to the brim with baby formula and other items for his baby daughter.

“Ha, yeah…” Rick chuckled softly, shaking his head back and forth weakly as he pulled the rusted metal handle of the door shut behind himself, his eyes squinting in the blaring sunlight. He opened his mouth to say something more to Maggie, but his attention was drawn elsewhere as he heard the rumble of a car engine growing closer. “Get your gun out,” he whispered, jerking his chin towards the road as a medium-sized pickup truck turned into the parking lot he and Maggie were standing in. “Son of a bitch...” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Rick could see that Maggie was scrambling to grab ahold of her gun, the flashlight falling loose from her grip and clattering against the pavement loudly. “Dammit,” she murmured under her breath, finally pulling her gun free from its holster. The pickup truck then came to a stop, the engine shutting off as the driver’s side door was carelessly kicked open. Rick could only spot one man inside of the vehicle; at least he and Maggie wouldn’t be outnumbered if any trouble were to break out. 

“Hold it right there,” Rick demanded irritably, pointing his python with one hand towards the strange man, allowing his stuffed backpack to slip off of his shoulder and onto the pavement to allow him more freedom to move if it were needed. The man had spotted Rick and Maggie, and was taking the time to retrieve his gun before he advanced towards them. 

“Holy shit,” the man’s raspy and familiar voice called out with a sarcastic chuckle as he took a step closer to Rick and Maggie, a smug grin spreading across his lips; it was Daryl’s older brother, Merle. He even had some sort of prosthetic hand now. “Well, if it isn’t Officer Friendly…”

“M-Merle?” Rick stammered out in disbelief as he raised his gun just a little bit higher: this was just what he needed to make his day better. “The hell’re you doing out here?”

Merle’s shoulders lifted for a weak and brief shrug, a suspicious look still plastered on his smug face. “Same as you’d be my guess,” he responded sarcastically. “I haven’t seen ya in a long while. How’s my baby brotha doin’? He still alive?”

“Yeah, yeah… Daryl’s fine,” Rick replied, his eyebrows raising with suspicion as he risked a sideways glance at Maggie. Her arms were trembling slightly as she aimed her gun at Merle, eyeing him up and down nervously. Rick had almost forgotten that Maggie wasn’t familiar with this man as he himself was. “How ‘bout… you wait here while I go back and get him?” Rick suggested, tilting his head slightly as Merle lowered his gun.

“Why can’t ya just bring me to him, hm?” Merle questioned curiously, a grin crossing his lips as he drew closer. “I jus’ wanna see my baby brotha. That too much to ask?”

“No…” Rick responded curtly, shaking his head back and forth as he gritted his teeth; there was no way in Hell that he was gonna allow Merle into the prison where he could bring harm to Carl and his daughter. This man was reckless and Rick couldn’t risk any of his family getting harmed. “I’m not tellin’ you where we are,” he spat defiantly. 

“Fair enough,” Merle grumbled, quickly aiming his gun between Maggie and Rick; firing a single shot without intentions of hitting either of them, it was only meant to scare them and catch them off guard. Seeing his chance to take control over the survivors, Merle lunged after Maggie, clearly the weakest of the two, tackling her to the pavement and kicking her gun out of her reach as he wrapped his prosthetic arm around her neck, placing his gun to her temple. 

“Dammit!” Rick cried out in defeat, lowering his gun as he caught sight of the look on Merle’s face. He knew that if he did anything against the other man’s wishes, Merle would take Maggie’s life and Rick simply couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. “Let her go,” he demanded calmly, holstering away his gun as he lifted his hands into the air, guilt constricting his chest as he saw the panicked look plastered onto Maggie’s paled face. She hadn't done anything wrong and didn't deserve to have her life being put into danger.

“Get in the truck,” Merle demanded with malice in his raspy voice, scrambling up to his feet as he kept Maggie restrained tightly in his grip, never lowering his gun away from her temple as he dragged her struggling body towards the passenger's side of the truck. “You’re gonna drive, Officer Friendly, and you’re gonna follow my directions exactly or lil’ Bo Peep here’s gonna get it, a’right?” 

Rick snarled under his breath, following Merle’s directions and climbing into the driver’s seat of the redneck’s rusted old pickup truck. Wherever it was that Merle had been planning on leading them towards; Rick had a bad feeling about it.


	4. Chapter Four

Maggie could hear nothing except for the loud and endless grunts of pain emitting from Rick’s lips as he was ruthlessly beaten in the next room over. All she could think was that she was next; what had they done to deserve this?

She had long since lost the feeling in her hands as they had been restrained behind her back with what might as well have been an entire roll of duct tape as she was forced to sit down on a rickety wooden chair pulled to the side of a table. The room was dark and cold, the only source of light coming from the single flickering bulb that hung from the center of the ceiling. Maggie wasn’t even sure of where Merle had taken them to. 

With a soft creak, the door was pushed open, drawing Maggie’s attention up and revealing an unfamiliar man. She had been expecting a visit from Merle. “Good evening, young lady,” the man introduced himself, a mock smile crossing his lips as he laid his blue eyes on the woman seated before him. The man possessed a strange aura; Maggie knew not to trust him but there was a certain charm in the way he carried himself. “Philip; and you are…?”

“Maggie,” she replied with little enthusiasm, swallowing heavily as Philip grew increasingly close to the table. “Why am I here? What d’you want from us?”

“Getting straight to the point, huh?” Philip chuckled, avoiding answering Maggie for the moment as he placed his hand on the chair opposite of hers, but pausing before he seated himself. “May I?” he requested.

Maggie remained silent, allowing her vision to trace Philip’s movements as he slowly lowered himself into the chair. She had a bad feeling about where this was going. “I asked you a question,” she reminded him calmly, dragging the toe of her boot across the cement floor as she observed him.

Inhaling deeply, Philip rested back in his chair, folding his hands in front of himself as he regarded Maggie for a moment. “We just wanna know where your people live. That’s it: simple.” 

“M’not tellin’ you that,” Maggie replied defiantly, refusing to put her family in danger. She was unaware of what Philip and his people were capable of, or even how many of them there were, but she couldn’t risk her group’s lives, simple as that.

“C’mon, Maggie,” Philip breathed out in a heavy sigh, shaking his head slightly at her defiance. “What? You don’t trust me?” he questioned, allowing a smirk to dance its way across his lips. 

Maggie remained silent in response, thinking the answer to his question was more than obvious. “Can y’untie my hands?” she questioned simply, shifting uncomfortably as she fought to move them. 

“Alright,” Philip replied with a sigh of disappointment as he rose to his feet, slipping a knife out from his pocket. Armed with a weapon, the man gave off an even more prominent vibe of someone who was dangerous, and Maggie’s breath caught in her throat until she heard the soft rip of the blade slicing through the tape; freeing her hands. “But I gave you enough chances to tell me what I wanna know. You’re forcing me to do something that I wanna do, but I think it may be the only way that’ll get you talking; take off your shirt.”

“What?” Maggie breathed out with disbelief. He was joking, right? “N-no…”

“You’ll find that this will be much easier if you cooperate with me,” Philip insisted, pressing the cold metal blade against Maggie’s cheek as a warning. “You do as I say. Now stand up, face me, and then take off your damn shirt.”

Maggie’s breath hitched in her throat as she slowly and hesitantly rose to her feet, her hands shaking as her fingers slipped underneath the hem of her shirt. “Why’re you doin’ this?” She choked out, her voice breaking with fear as she freed herself from the shirt, placing it lightly on the table in front of herself. Now standing before him with nothing but a bra covering her chest, Maggie squirmed with discomfort. 

“Keep going,” Philip demanded, hooking a single finger on her bra strap as he began to slide it down her arm.

Tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, Maggie did as she was told, folding her arms in front of her exposed chest in order to hide it from view.

Wordlessly, Philip drew closer to Maggie, unbuckling his belt as he stood behind her; hands gripping her exposed hips as his nose buried in her hair. “Last chance…” he whispered against her ear, causing her entire body to shudder, but this only encouraged Philip more; pressing himself against Maggie’s back. 

Maggie defiantly shook her head; he wasn’t going to break her. Not like this.

“Have it your way then,” Philip spat, roughly gripping Maggie by the back of her neck before slamming her down onto the table, an immediate sob leaving her lips. His hands slipped down to her waist, gripping the fabric of her jeans as he began to slowly slide them down her legs. 

Maggie knew for certain now that Philip wasn’t bluffing. But it didn’t change that she needed to protect her family; she wasn’t giving in. “Do whatever it is yer gonna do,” she mumbled, a single tear slipping down her cheek. “An’ then go t’Hell.”


End file.
